Looking at the first issue of the newspaper and the reactions of the court officials, Emperor An was actually quite satisfied. If these knowledgeable ministers were like this, the reactions of the common people must have been even more intense.
Once the first shot was fired, things became much easier.
It seems that the implementation of compulsory education has taken the most crucial first step, which makes Emperor An very pleased.
But this is the current affairs section…
Emperor An was both exasperated and wanted to laugh.
Although the intention was good, the people's dissatisfaction with the court was mostly due to the corrupt practices of people like Lin Yuanqing and his son Lin Wenyao, who made people think that these corrupt officials were protected by the court and therefore acted with impunity.
When Jing Zhe publicized the affairs of the Lin family and the Wu family to the world, he was actually telling everyone that the Emperor wanted to implement benevolent governance, and anyone who dared to break the law would not be let off lightly!
Therefore, Emperor An was satisfied with the deeper views expressed in the current affairs section, but... it was really a bit tragic for Wu Xianyong.
But he doesn't deserve sympathy.
If it weren't for Prince Xiang's intercession, Emperor An would have severely punished Lin Wenyao for daring to harass Su Mochen. Then there were the incidents involving Wu Yong and Wu De, and Emperor An didn't make any arrangements for him, which was already considered giving face to Prince Xiang and Wu Xianyong.
Jing Zhe brought Wu Xianyong into the spotlight this time, which is entirely his own fault. Emperor An can only say that he deserved it.
However, this title has something...
Emperor An smiled, then said seriously, "President Jing, this is a current affairs section..."
"Your Majesty, I was wrong!"
Before Emperor An could finish speaking, Jing Zhe stepped forward and admitted his mistake, startling everyone present.
"Oh? What's wrong with it?"
"Your Majesty, I must apologize to Minister Wu! I wrote the entertainment section too hastily, and some parts were not truthful enough, which has offended Minister Wu!"
"..."
Wu Xianyong looked up at Jing Zhe, his face expressionless: Finally had a change of heart? Too bad, you've already hurt me terribly! Both physically and mentally, to the point where an apology wouldn't even be appropriate!
"Oh? Then tell me, exactly which parts didn't guarantee authenticity?"
Emperor An also became interested.
"What we wrote in our newspaper that Vice Minister Wu's manhood was cut off by a razor blade is actually wrong! I can guarantee that Vice Minister Wu's manhood is still there; he's just missing his testicles! I didn't investigate this properly when I wrote the newspaper, otherwise I would have used 'The Warrior Without Testicles' as the headline for the current affairs section!"
"..."
Before the first punch landed, another punch rose.
The relentless punches nearly knocked Wu Xianyong to the ground.
But what terrified him even more was Emperor An's attitude. From beginning to end, he did not pity him or utter a single word of reproach against Jing Zhe. Wu Xianyong couldn't help but wonder if all of this was at His Majesty's behest.
The thought of this sends chills down my spine.
"Minister Wu, what are your thoughts?"
Emperor An glanced at him and said indifferently.
His body had not yet recovered, and his mind had suffered such a blow. At this time, Emperor An came to ask him what he thought.
Clearly, Wu Xianyong had grasped Emperor An's meaning.
He immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I know my crime! I have failed to discipline my children properly, which has led to their arrogance and lawlessness, corrupting the officialdom and causing extremely bad influence among the people! Therefore, I voluntarily request to resign, and I hope Your Majesty will grant my request!"
"Since Minister Wu has this understanding, I grant his permission!"
"..."
Subsequently, Sui Shouren sent someone over to help the bewildered Wu Xianyong out.
Everything happened too fast; Emperor An didn't even say a word to try and keep him. Wu Xianyong should indeed be bewildered.
Jing Zhe curled his lip. After being in Jingzhou for so long, he had finally brought down a villain, basically uprooting him completely, making him difficult to threaten again. Hmm, it felt good.
...
The ministers were somewhat taken aback.
If the entertainment section is about entertaining the masses, and the literature and military sections are about promoting people, then Jing Zhe is showing everyone his most gentle and authentic side.
But starting with the current affairs section, he revealed his sharpest fangs. Those who had bullied him in the past were torn apart by him, bit by bit, until they were powerless to fight back.
In their eyes, Jing Zhe had become somewhat frightening.
Bai Qingyuan, who had the deepest grudge against Jing Zhe, suddenly felt a chill. It turned out that the fact that Jing Zhe only ever exchanged words with him meant that Jing Zhe was still somewhat considerate of him…
He originally wanted to make things difficult for Jing Zhe again, saying that he had privately changed the content of the military section to Liu Jinghong's battle against the number one warrior of Southern Qi, which was contrary to the facts, but after thinking about it, he decided not to.
Judging from the current situation, the first issue of the newspaper was a success, and Emperor An was overjoyed. Jing Zhe was unstoppable, and causing trouble for him at this time would be tantamount to suicide.
So I shut my mouth, lowered my head, and said no more.
In the end, only the lifestyle section remained.
It was the same general framework as what Li Haoyun had mentioned before, but with significantly more details, including the Zhang family's winery and the Wenxiangju winery, which the officials found very interesting.
In particular, the article repeatedly mentioned Su Xinping, the heir apparent of the Prince of Jin. Although the newspapers said that he had nothing to do with the matter, his frequent appearances still attracted everyone's attention.
Emperor An naturally noticed this as well, and frowned deeply: "President Jing, what do you think of what Zhang Xuehou said, that everything was instigated by the Prince of Jin's heir?"
"Your Majesty, the newspaper's opinion is my opinion. The name on the property deeds and land deeds of the newly opened winery is Zhang Xuehou. Although, in principle, he does not have the financial strength to open a winery in a short time without anyone contributing money and effort... he did open it anyway. Without evidence, I dare not speculate wildly."
After Jing Zhe finished speaking, the ministers looked at each other in bewilderment.
No one believed that Zhang Xuehou, a mere individual, possessed such great power; there must be a powerful figure behind him.
"Furthermore, would the Prince of Jin's heir knowingly break the law? The winery's turnover has already reached five thousand taels of silver, and that's just one in Jingzhou City. Zhang Xuehou even slandered the Prince of Jin's heir, saying he wanted to open wineries all over the country. How much silver would that make? Is the Prince of Jin short of money? What does he plan to do with so much silver? Therefore, I think it's impossible that the Prince of Jin's heir instigated this. At most, it's just Zhang Xuehou making things up!"
"..."
Jing Zhe repeatedly said that he believed in the Prince of Jin and guaranteed that it was not the Prince of Jin who instructed him, but he also pointed out a series of doubts. The ministers were not fools and naturally knew what he was trying to say.
King Xiang glanced at Jing Zhe indifferently, inwardly cursing Su Xinping again: This good-for-nothing! He's utterly useless and only good for making things worse! Luckily, I've severed ties with him now, otherwise I would have been dragged down by him!
Emperor An's brow remained furrowed; he understood all of Jing Zhe's hints and was currently considering them.
Having no clue, he waved his hand and said, "I've finished reading the newspaper. It's well done. Let's call it a day! Isn't President Jing supposed to deliver the newspaper to Mo Chen? Then you can stay for a bit!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
————
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